tay-che14
31-12-15, 12:53
Hello all, I am looking for advice and recommendations and to see how my experiences compare with those of others. Feel free to move this thread if it is in the wrong place.
I am a 23 year old male from England. I have had problems with anxiety unknowingly since i was about 16 but I really took notice at the age of 20. I have been to see doctors and therapists and on occasion spent quite a lot of money for treatment. My anxiety shows its ugly head in various situations, I go through bad spells and at other times I am able to handle it quite well. One of the problems for myself is that I don't really have anyone to talk to about the problem. The only person i've really told about it in my personal life is my mother but she doesn't really understand it, and I come from quite a macho mentality background so i'm embarrassed about the whole thing and know that many won't have a clue how to approach the situation. Hence why I tend to deal with it alone and bottle things up and try to deny the situation.
Anyway, I am currently a student (which is a great lifestyle, but for an anxiety sufferer it is dangerous too) and I have a lot going for me. I do have friends and a good social life and I have had relationships. I do get very worked up about doing presentations and public speaking, also in the past I have had panic attacks whilst working in customer service on tills in front of many people.
Recently though the anxiety has sort of changed the way it comes on. Before it would come on rather as a short burst, but now it can last for days. My biggest problem of late is when I am trying to sleep actually. I have accepted I will feel sensations of anxiety in certain situations as it is normal to when you are doing something you don't like e.g. public speaking. But nowadays I think the problem is so deep in my mind that just thinking about something negative can set me off, which in a way is worse. The anxiety doesn't hit a climax in a way that a panic attack does, but I receive the sensations of the racing mind, fast beating heart, the ringing in the ears, the layer of cold sweat on my back etc. When it happens now I don't seem to be able to stop it. If it happens when I am trying to get to sleep at 1am for example I will be awake all night for sure meaning no sleep at all making the next day hellish and slugish. It is bad because you are so tired you can't keep your eyes open but the anxiety is making it impossible to actually shut your mind down and sleep properly.
I know this is all in our own heads, anxiety, and it is set off by our own thoughts. But its a whole lot easier saying it than actually being able to control it. I wouldn't say I'm depressed but I could certainly see it going that way. Sometimes I just think how am I going to continue living like this, especially when you're thoughts are spiralling and you think the worst of every situation as the anxiety makes you do. It is making me avoid things and it is affecting me in life. I'm sure there is a lot more I could write too...
I Believe I've built up such a fear of feeling anxiety that is now in fact what causes alot of my worry.
Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks
I am a 23 year old male from England. I have had problems with anxiety unknowingly since i was about 16 but I really took notice at the age of 20. I have been to see doctors and therapists and on occasion spent quite a lot of money for treatment. My anxiety shows its ugly head in various situations, I go through bad spells and at other times I am able to handle it quite well. One of the problems for myself is that I don't really have anyone to talk to about the problem. The only person i've really told about it in my personal life is my mother but she doesn't really understand it, and I come from quite a macho mentality background so i'm embarrassed about the whole thing and know that many won't have a clue how to approach the situation. Hence why I tend to deal with it alone and bottle things up and try to deny the situation.
Anyway, I am currently a student (which is a great lifestyle, but for an anxiety sufferer it is dangerous too) and I have a lot going for me. I do have friends and a good social life and I have had relationships. I do get very worked up about doing presentations and public speaking, also in the past I have had panic attacks whilst working in customer service on tills in front of many people.
Recently though the anxiety has sort of changed the way it comes on. Before it would come on rather as a short burst, but now it can last for days. My biggest problem of late is when I am trying to sleep actually. I have accepted I will feel sensations of anxiety in certain situations as it is normal to when you are doing something you don't like e.g. public speaking. But nowadays I think the problem is so deep in my mind that just thinking about something negative can set me off, which in a way is worse. The anxiety doesn't hit a climax in a way that a panic attack does, but I receive the sensations of the racing mind, fast beating heart, the ringing in the ears, the layer of cold sweat on my back etc. When it happens now I don't seem to be able to stop it. If it happens when I am trying to get to sleep at 1am for example I will be awake all night for sure meaning no sleep at all making the next day hellish and slugish. It is bad because you are so tired you can't keep your eyes open but the anxiety is making it impossible to actually shut your mind down and sleep properly.
I know this is all in our own heads, anxiety, and it is set off by our own thoughts. But its a whole lot easier saying it than actually being able to control it. I wouldn't say I'm depressed but I could certainly see it going that way. Sometimes I just think how am I going to continue living like this, especially when you're thoughts are spiralling and you think the worst of every situation as the anxiety makes you do. It is making me avoid things and it is affecting me in life. I'm sure there is a lot more I could write too...
I Believe I've built up such a fear of feeling anxiety that is now in fact what causes alot of my worry.
Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks